


The Rings of Malfoy Manor

by Carcajou



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-24
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-25 23:19:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17130611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carcajou/pseuds/Carcajou
Summary: A work in progress!How was Draco supposed to know the rings were still active? What was he supposed to do to entertain his new friend? What would happen to them both, once they put them on?





	1. Chapter 1

Malfoy hated the summer break.

Only two weeks in, and he was already bored out of his mind. His mother was constantly knocking on his door, asking if he wanted to go visit Aunt So-and-So or Such-and-such Store. After one seemingly interminable visit to a shop that specialized in tiny glass replicas of ships, Draco had vowed to ignore all other trips with his mother this summer. 

He couldn't wait for the Quidditch World Cup, but that was months away. He tried to dive into the odds and plays of the game with his father. He only ever got scornful you-don't-know-what-you're-talking-abouts and exasperated can't-i-get-a-moment's-rest-without-this-childish-nonsenses in return. 

Malfoy hated this summer more than the last, because this past year at Hogwarts had been the worst yet. The worst! 

The only thing about summer that Malfoy hated a little less was taking his broom to a distant edge of the property to practice his flying and his drawing. 

And that was what he was doing that morning in July when he met trouble.


	2. The Boy Who Drew

As Malfoy flew over the grounds of the estate, he felt the knot in his chest loosen. He breathed in the flowery, humid mid summer air. He looked out over the green, green hills and far off away he could see the hills becoming scrubland, the scrubland becoming forest, the forest becoming tall and wide and old. 

He did a few maneuvers in the air, rather mindlessly from the habit of his quidditch drills. He started to get hot and sweaty under the full sun. Malfoy pulled up on his broom and surveyed the grounds. 

He wanted to finish his root drawing. He located the small creek winding through the forest; it was obvious even from high above by the way the trees dipped and bowed to the creek. 

Diving closer to the ground and following the twists of the creek, Malfoy eventually spotted the large willow tree that had grown in an arch over the water. Pulling himself flush with the broom, he could just barely dip under the branches. He sometimes got his pants' legs wet if he wasn't paying attention.

Around a few corners, and then he could see the meadow, where he landed and left his broom leaning against a tree. Then he crunched and thwacked his way through scrubby plants, until he got into the tall forests and came face to face with the Root.

Malfoy propped up against a tree trunk and pulled out his notebook and pencils. He added to his drawing, shading with tiny lines each fine rootlet. Erasing now and again when he realized the proportions were off. Focused. Unaware of anything outside of trying to make an exact replica of what he saw. Unaware of anyone, even those nearby and watching.

After finishing one edge of the page, Malfoy stretched and got up. He found a gorgeous old elm branch on the forest floor. He used it like a pretend lance. As soon as it touched the tree, he felt a piercing pain explode along his right side. 

Screaming, Malfoy jumped backwards. How had the tree hurt him? His hands felt like they were burning. 

"Drop the stick!"

A young man ran up to him and knocked the rotting branch to the ground.

"It hurts! Something--"

"It's red ants! We have to get them off you." 

The young man started swatting Malfoy's shirt.

"Ouch! Ouch!! It still hurts!"

"They've gotten under your shirt, you have to take it off."

Malfoy didn't need any convincing. He pulled his long sleeved shirt off and threw it away like a grenade. 

Sure enough, all over his arms were a dozen biting red ants.

"Oh g-d! They're eating me alive! They're killing me!"

"I've got you," the stranger was plucking and squishing red ants one by one. "I know it's bad, but they're not deadly. Just fricking painful." He grinned slightly.

Malfoy moaned until the last ant was plucked off. Then he moaned some more. The pain was still shooting up his arms. 

"Sit down," the young guy was digging through his backpack now. Malfoy swooned and alighted on the leafy ground. 

"Here's some water."

Uncharacteristically for a young aristocrat, Malfoy didn't snub the banged up metal tin that it came in, but quickly dumped the contents over his arms. And his pants, it turns out.

"Okay," the stranger knelt down in front of him with a small glass potion jar. "This should help take the sting out. Do you want it?"

Malfoy briefly hesitated, but he saw that his pale arms were already becoming red and swollen, "Yes alright. Anything to get this damn burning to stop!"

The young man applied the ointment to the reddening bites. Malfoy had never seen someone take so long to smear a potion on him. This guy was using a single finger and dabbing it one bite at a time. It was a little infuriating, but also calming.

As he was being tended to, Malfoy surveyed his healer. He seemed to be about his age--maybe younger--with dark curly hair and long eyelashes. He had a burly backpack with him, and his clothes were rugged. His shoes looked like they had been buried in the stables overnight. 

Malfoy had never seen this boy before. 

What was he doing on his property?


	3. Chapter 3

"Cricket taught me how to do this."

"How is this related to crickets? I thought those were ants?" Malfoy snapped back abruptly, frowning. Out of all the branches in the forest, he just had to pick the one with an ant infestation. 

"Haha yeah sorry, Cricket was my friend back home. She knew tons about camping and stuff."

"What are you even doing here?" Malfoy snapped again.

The stranger stopped his dabbing. "Helping you," he said quietly.

Malfoy felt his cheeks redden as he stared into the guy's brown eyes. His bare chest suddenly felt cold and exposed, he hunched down and stared at his shoes. 

"Sorry, I just..."

"No it's okay ... I haven't properly introduced myself have I? My name is Sammy, I'm fifteen years old, I just moved here from America to visit my Grandpa for the summer. I like exploring hidden places, which is why I came back here."

Sammy poked Malfoy in the chest lightly, "Now you tell me what you're all about."

"I'm Draco. I'm fifteen, I'm a third, well no, a fourth year at Hogwarts. This is my family's property. I was just trying to escape the house for a while when those ants attacked me."

"How does it feel?"

"What?"

"The bites?" Sammy lightly took Draco's hand in his and turned it over. "This is probably the worst spot, huh? Does this hurt?"

"Um no."

"Good!" Sammy smiled and lightly squeezed Draco's hand. It felt tingly, like the ant venom, but not in a painful way. 

"So America..." Draco searched for a topic of conversation. "Did you go to Ilvermony?"

"Uh no, I was... homeschooled."

Draco nodded, "I absolutely begged Father to let me study from home, or at least with a private tutor, but he wasn't having it. And Mother couldn't bear to see me go all the way to Durmstrang, so I was stuck with Hogwarts."

"Why don't you like Hogwarts?"

"How long do you have?"

Sammy laughed and said, "I got a while."

Draco grinned, "Well first of all there's Potter-"


End file.
